S12: Germ Warfare

World Health Organization and International Red Cross

• Investigations declined by North Korea and China

International Association of Democratic Lawyers’ commission

• 1952 report: faced skepticism, partly due to the limited scientific expertise of its members

International Scientific Commission

• Led by Swedish scientist Andrea Andreen, the Scientific Commission consisted of seven scientists from Europe, the USSR, and Brazil
• Research in China and North Korea from June to September 1952
• Report: US was engaging in bacteriological warfare in North Korea and China, albeit on a limited scale

1949:

• scientists conducted a public test by releasing harmless bacteria in the air conditioning system at the Pentagon.

1950:

• The US Navy sprayed the coast of San Francisco with two types of bacteria, Bacillus globigii and Serratia marcesens.
• Bacillus globigii, then believed to be safe, now listed as a pathogen and can cause food poisoning.
• Serratia marcesens caused serious bacterial infection; 11 hospitalized and one death.

1951:

• Tests at Norfolk Naval Supply Center in Virginia; fungal spores were dispersed to study their effects on workers.
• Workers mostly African-American
• Scientists wanted to test a theory about their susceptibility to fungal disease compared to Caucasians.

1962:

• Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara authorized Project 112 and increased testing and research on bioweapons.

1966:

• Test on the New York subway; light bulbs filled with Bacillus globigii bacteria were smashed open on the tracks
• 2008: the US Government Accountability Office acknowledged that tens of thousands of civilians may have been exposed.

Chemical and Biological Defense: DOD and VA Need to Improve Efforts to Identify and Notify Individuals Potentially Exposed during Chemical and Biological Tests

GAO-08-366

Published: Feb 28, 2008

Congress has declined to take the actions suggested by GAO:

To provide greater transparency and resolve outstanding questions related to DOD’s decision to cease actively searching for the identification of individuals associated with Project 112, Congress may wish to consider requiring the Secretary of Defense to consult with and address the concerns of VA, veterans, and veterans service organizations; to conduct and document an analysis that includes a full accounting of information known, and the related costs, benefits, and challenges associated with continuing the search for additional Project 112 participants; and to provide Congress with the results of this analysis.